Consider the Reasoning Expressed by the Speaker in This Passage

question 19

Multiple Choice

Consider the reasoning expressed by the speaker in this passage: "We were having a severe midwinter cold spell. The city was running out of heating oil for private home use. So the city ordered everyone to set their home thermostats down to 65 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 62 at night. But I set my thermostat at 67 during the day and 64 at night. I reasoned this way. It is in my best interest to cheat just a little by keeping our house a bit warmer. In fact, it is in the best interest of each person who lives in the city to do the same thing. So it follows that it is in the city's best interest if everyone were to cheat just a little." We can reasonably evaluate the speaker's inference as __________.

• A) valid because of affirming the antecedent
• B) valid because of disjunctive syllogism
• C) a fallacy of false classification
• D) a fallacy of false reference
• E) a fallacy of composition

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Definitions:

Beats Per Minute

A unit of measure used to quantify the tempo of music, the frequency of heartbeats, or other periodic activity within a minute.

Uterine Souffle

A whooshing sound heard through auscultation over the pregnant uterus, caused by blood flowing through the uterine arteries.

Nägele Rule

A standard way of estimating the due date of a pregnancy by adding one year, subtracting three months, and adding seven days to the first day of a woman's last menstrual period.

Last Menstrual Period

The first day of a woman's most recent menstruation, used in calculating due dates in pregnancy.